Three facing assault, intent to murder charges in fight

Three Taunton men are being held on attempted murder charges in connection with a knife fight in front of a convenience store last week, authorities said.

Charles Winokoor

Three city men are being held on attempted murder charges in connection with a knife fight in front of a convenience store last week, authorities said.

Police said it took nearly a week to accumulate enough solid evidence to request and execute arrest warrants. They said two of the three who were stabbed on the afternoon of Aug. 7 — one of whom was airlifted to Boston Medical Center — had been uncooperative.

Store surveillance footage was crucial in identifying the subjects and piecing together the chain of events, cops said.
Police said the knife fight broke out just after 2 p.m. in front of the Stop N Save at 296 Winthrop St. They also said the clerk working at the convenience store never called 911 to report a disturbance.

All three suspects are being charged with assault with intent to murder and affray.

Vazquez is also being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a glass bottle.

Police said store surveillance clearly shows Woodson in the store buying some items when Vazquez and Mendes enter, at which point a tense interaction ensues.

Woodson, who was treated for a stab wound at Morton Hospital, initially told cops he’d been involved in a road rage incident while heading toward Rehoboth. Police said he eventually came clean and explained how he had been involved in a fight at the store.

Surveillance shows Mendes, knife in hand, squaring off with Woodson just outside the store, police said. Mendes can be seen taking roundhouse swings with the knife apparently aiming for Woodson’s neck, cops said.

Vazquez, meanwhile, jumps in and begins hitting Woodson several times in the head with a bottle of Snapple, cops said.
A friend of Woodson, who had been waiting in a car, rushes in to help defend him but did not have a weapon, police said, and was not arrested.

Woodson, police said, can be seen pulling out his own knife and then rushing toward his attackers. A woman, who police said apparently had been with Vazquez and Mendes, can be seen screaming.

Vazquez and Woodson square off with their respective knives, swing at each other and mutually inflict wounds, cops said. The woman, they add, then picks up a knife that had been dropped and brings it inside the store where she speaks briefly with the clerk before walking out.

TPD Detective Michael Bonenfant, who is heading up the investigation, said Woodson was brought to Morton after a Raynham police officer working a paid detail on South Street noticed that he seemed to be in distress after his friend had driven him away from the Taunton convenience store and headed away from the scene.

Vazquez was released Monday to the state police violent fugitive apprehension unit at the Boston hospital before being turned over to Taunton police, Bonenfant said.

Mendes is being held without bail after bail was revoked for an earlier charge involving a motor vehicle offense. Woodson is held on $50,000 bail and Vazquez on $25,000 bail.

Police said when they interviewed Vazquez the night of the fight he said he didn’t know what had happened and politely said “thank you, no” when asked to provide details of the assault that left him with staples in his side between his waist and underarm.

Mendes was picked up Monday night by Raynham police at a local motel and was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana.